Welcome back. Lets get a check on the day ahead check on the day ahead before we toss it over to morning joe. Chuck hagel is set to testify on a house hearing on the administrations strategy to beat back isis. General dempsey will also be a witness. And Mitch Mcconnell is expected to be elected majority leader and harry reid minority leader. That will do it for way too early. Morning joe starts right now. This is Ground Control to major tom youve really made the grade david bowie this morning. Alternative version, actually. Hey, welcome to morning joe. Were going back to what are we going to try to do today, willie . Save the world. Save the world. Thats good. No matter what, we need to save the world. I mean after some guy and woman, whoever, figured out how to land a ship on a comet. Wow. Whatever we do this morning is going to suck. Come on. I dont like science. Im a republican, right. No, no. I dont like science. Liberals dont like math. Were going bankrupt. Were even. I dont like science. I never liked science. The universe is expand, contracting, whatever. Im never going to figure it out in my short moment here on this planet, im not going to figure it out. Not your thing. Im going to worry more about
like, you know, dealing with my 11yearold girl. She likes science yes, she actually does. Liberal. [ laughter ] i never thought of science as political. Its actually not. Im making fun of left wingers. You dont like science because they dont believe florida will be under water by june the 3rd. Anyway, but even i stopped in my tracks yesterday. Have you seen the video. This is crazy stuff. This im sorry. This equals man walks on the moon. You land a rover on a comet going 36,000 miles an hour . Thats breathtaking. Thats a breathtaking achievement, man. Theres so much crap that passes for news these days and so many stupid celebrities that are just famous for being famous, this is
an incredible achievement, willie. Now well all find out it happened on the burbank lot. Like the moon landing. 36,000 miles an hour and more than 300 million miles away. I had the same thought when they were celebrating. I was thinking the people, the American People and people around the world who sat in a room and thought about how to do this. They crunched the numbers and pulled it off. For the first time scientists successfully landed a vehicle on the comet. This time yesterday we were waiting anxiously as rosetta separated. In the end the lander the size of a dishwasher made it successfully to the comets icy dusty surface. Just in this morning, this is the first image from the lander on the surface of the comet. There were celebrations the world over particularly in germany where the mission was controlled, some cried. Tears of joy, obviously. Others paid tribute in their own
more permanent ways. Look at that tattoo. Stoked the wonder of millions. On the front page of newspapers across the world this image. Frances president , Francois Hollande watching it in 3d. Its now traveling between mars and jupiter. 300 million miles from earth. Mindboggling. Rattner, youre smart. How did they do that . Noosh the earth moves at Something Like 1,000 Miles Per Hour and we land things on it all the time. Were already here you buzz kill. Thats a terrible point. Thats a terrible point. Im leaving. Expel him from the set. Come on. All right. I saw bruce willis do this in 97, right. Its not some republican idea. You dont have to be unexcited. Im excited about science. This is really awesome. Hes not impressed. Its a million miles away. Here, not at all. Tough crowd. Lets move on. Katty kay i saw bruce willis do this in 1997, blew the comet up before it crashed into the earth. Steve, please. Its a lot better than whats happening down here in washington, right. More politics. Willie get as comet landing, a spacecraft and i get politics down here in washington. Really bring us down to earth. Just bring us down to earth. Steve already did. Just in a few hours time lawmakers will vote on their Party Leaders for the next session of congress. There could be one highprofile addition for democratic
senators. Harry reid is reportedly holding talks with senator Elizabeth Warren about joining the leadership in an especially creative role. Senator reid is promising to work with senator Mitch Mcconnell and other republicans and open to align more votes in the lame duck session. I saw firsthand how strategy of obstruction was debilitating to our system. I have no desire to engaging that manner. Although the desks in this Great Chamber may move around and change our duty to help working American Families never will. Senate democrats are ready to work in good faith with the republican counterparts whether it is today, tomorrow, january, no matter when it is to help the middle class and when we do that we help all of our citizens. However at least on wednesday five Democratic Senators would not commit to backing senator reid for leader and republicans are already making him a top target for 2016. Nevadas other senator republican dean hiller is urging
governor sandoval to run. Sandoval said hes focused on being governor. Nicole, if sandoval runs well win by 20, 30 points. I was one of the few people to predict harry reid would win in 2010. Sandoval if he runs its over. Democrats dont want harry reid. Hes become the face was obstructionism. A lot of people were laughing while he said that. Hes the face of obstructionism. Hes going to be fighting for his political life over the next two years. He should to be done. Democrats would be stupid to let this guy lead over the next two years. I love what Mary Landrieu said. Shes making it a political asset. Shes basically running against the Senate Leadership, against harry reid and if she is, i hope she isnt, i hope a republican wins but if she is successful
she will weaken him even further. Keystone which will create 55,000 jobs. Which the Obama State Department would not have the Environmental Impact that democrats said. Obama state Department Says it creates 55,000 new jobs and not have a bad Environmental Impact and obama says hell veto the bill if it passes. Democrats will try to help mary. An issue they have been hemming and h awing for six years. The senate and house will vote on the keystone xl pipeline and its because of that razor thin senate race in louisiana. They are both sponsoring bills in their respect chambers trying to show they are delivering for their home state. Senator landrieu has branded herself as critical to louisiana as chair of the Senate Energy committee, a Committee Republican leadership says cassidy would join if elected. Landrieu face an uphill reelection battle even more so after the partys Campaign Committee pulled its tv money ahead of her runoff. If take my name off of this bill helps it to pass, go right ahead. This is not about credit. It is not about glory. It is not about politics. It is about getting our work done. Senator landrieu, National Democrats have pulled their ad from your campaign, your leaders are not standing with you today, our lost cause . I dont believe i am. Of course ive stood against my leadership when ive had to and this is one of my times. My leadership at least two or three that have been elected have not been strong keystone supporters. This is another example of many that i can give you where ive had to stand up to my caucus and have done it. Now having won two elections in runoffs like this i wouldnt say i wouldnt count on me
being a lost cause. Is barack obama, Steve Rattner, the suggestion from the white house he would veto a keystone bill that his state Department Says creates a lot of good jobs and doesnt harm the environment. Is that an example of how big money in politics is irrationally distorting the political process. Who are the big funders of the left. This is an emotional issue. Yes some jobs being created. Yes it would help us on the energy front. In either case not quite as much as proponents say but its a touch point, a symbolic the big question is why would you not do it. Why would you not do it . Yes. Jobs will not spring forth forever and its not going to create a major impact in oil supply any, where but why would you not do it if its 50,000 new jobs because what youve got is a test of will between the
environmental groups who basically im talking logically. Why would you not do this . Forget the ideology of the extremists. If you thought there was an environmental concern. Or you want to stop fossil fuels. Stopping fossil fuels is not a reality. Is there a down the middle study that suggests keystone will harm the environment . There are studies that keystone would help the environment in the following sense. Right now that oil is being transported by trucks and by railroads, which consume more energy and more environmentally dangerous than putting it in a pipeline. The state department coked that. Barack Obamas State Department thats the ill logic of this. Its a stupid political issue that people on the far left have decided to make a cause when theres just no logic attached to it, and people on the far right are talking about how its
going save the world and its not. Heres what it does for Mary Landrieu. The refineries we have down on the gulf coast are used to procession heavy oil coming from venezuela. They are not as equipped to process the oil were producing in north dakota. This would bring heavy oil down from canada to those refineries. It would help mary out a lot. Lets bring in a couple more guests from washington, mike allen and kasie hunt. Good morning to you got. K asm kasie let me start with you. She got the answer out of senator landrieu. Ive been through a couple of runoffs before. Dont count me out. It was a fascinating day up there. Were just saying after six years of sitting on the shelf and being in limb jobs boom, it springs to the floor in one day. Hey, guys. If you talk to Mary Landrieus supporters in particular they will say this move she made ticked off some democrats and republicans. Republicans dont want to give her a win on this thats why you saw all that last minute maneuvering in the house. They put her opponent on the house version of the bill. On the democratic side theres a lot of tension up here yesterday. A tense moment between Mary Landrieu and senator Chuck Schumer who is a leader among the democrats and this puts a lot of democrats in a tough spot. The question at this point whether Mary Landrieu can get the 60 votes she needs to push it through the senate. Will Chuck Schumer and harry reid help her find those 60 votes. It could be a loss for her. When you see five democrats have come out already and said they may not support harry reid, what that usually means theres about 20 or 30 more that are saying the same thing off camera
or away from the borders. Do you sense or do you have any reason to believe theres a growing ground swell to push harry reid out of his leadership position or is it limited to these five people . I think that harry reid not coming out of this as a minority leader of his caucus would be a huge surprise. I do think that supporting either one of these, either michigan mcconnell or harry reid has become toxic to a certain extent. Jean shaheen is typically supportive of harry reid but the race she went through he became toxic. On the republican side i talked to ted cruz in a asked him whether or not he plans to support Mitch Mcconnell and his answer was call my press office. Ringing endorsement there. I dont understand that answer. You are right there so why dont you answer yes or no . Is that Straight Talk . I dont get it. I guess thats because i was always too stupid to say things
like that. I would go yes or no. Imagine that. Lets bring in mike allen. Mike, harry reid, you broke the story harry reid is trying to figure a way to give Elizabeth Warren a position in democratic leadership. Tell bus it. That story that katy had at the top a push for new blood. Only five will come out publicly. You know there are so Many Senate Democrats who would love new leadership. There are plenty of Senate Democrats who are none too excited when harry reid won reelection. So having Elizabeth Warren in there, in this made up job, a new fifth seat in Senate Leadership is a way for them to bring in these new ideas, to put a stamp on that economic populism that she talks about. What kind of signal does this send to republicans . This doesnt send any kind of a signal we want to work with you. It would be considered by
republicans to be a hostile signal but one that the white house would like and would encourage democrats who could use some encouraging. Yeah. Hey, so kacie whats it like on the hill now . Everybody has come back after this, this surprise of sorts. Yeah. Are republicans and democrats, do you sense that peace may be breaking out . What did you pick up on the hill yesterday . Well, i would say first of all there was a sense of celebration among republicans. I mean theres just a level of giddiness that we havent seen in a while, all the new incoming senators were up here for orientation, joni ernst, thom tillis from North Carolina they got taken out to the senator floor to be given their tour. Their main concern was whether they could use iphones and blackberries on the senate
floor. We can relate. But i think mike makes a good point in that one of the things and this ties in what we were talking about earlier these democrats coming out and being skeptical of harry reid most of them are moderates. Reid says i might put warren on my Leadership Team and that shows where reid has put himself in his caucus. Hes become supportive of the liberal left wing of his caucus. If thats how its going to go forward were in for some pretty knock down drag out fighting. Mcconnell talked with reporters and went very hard after the president on this china deal. We went quickly claiming from everything would be conciliatory to being back in partisan warfare. Somebody else who doesnt like this move is Hillary Clinton. We know that she feels the ghost
of Elizabeth Warren in this race but to elevate her more and politico has a story up this morning about how the liberal media, the left media keeps pushing the idea of Elizabeth Warren and her issues, not satisfied with what Hillary Clinton has said so far so its giving Elizabeth Warren wing not just her personally an even bigger platform. Liberals. Im so excited. Liberals against liberals. Republicans certainly have their set of internal issues and democrats have their set of internal issues and Elizabeth Warren represents an important and growing part of the Democratic Party and just to use the old joke you always want them inside the tent looking out rather than outside the tent looking in. But i think harry reid will thereabout for at least another two years. Okay. Good for us. Mike allen and kasie hunt thanks a lot. Still ahead this is a huge, huge lineup. We have john lithgow and steny hoyer and Boris Johnson. Mayor johnson will join your table in a minute. The Campaign Promises he makes. And he delivers. One of hollywoods most outspoken and controversial directors may be ready to call it a wrap on his career. Well tell you who it is when morning joe comes back. So ally bank really has no hidden fees on savings accounts . Thats right. Its just that im worried about you know hidden things. Ok, whys that . No hidden fees, from the bank where no branches equals great rates. Really. Its not worth it. No worries. I got this. I got all the time in the world vo a 2. 7 gigahertz turbo processor. Kevlar fiber durability. Turbo charge for up to 8 hours of battery in just 15 minutes. Introducing droid turbo by motorola switch now and get 150 credit. Time to take a look at the morning papers. We just have to start with the New York Post. Willie, what are we looking at
here. Im so confused. Thats an artists mockup of the mayor of new york city, mayor de blasio sleeping. New York Daily News also has it on the cover right there. Show some class. Tell us about that one. Well it was also in the New York Times, new york city mayor de blasio has a reputation of being tardy to events. What happened yesterday didnt help him. De blasio was cancelleded to attends a Memorial Service on the anniversary of a flight. He was supposed to speak at 9 05. He arrived after 9 20 angering victims relatives. His first excuse. The Mayors Police boat got caught in fog. Then he later said he had a tough night sleep and thats why he was late. So some fog. Fog first. Fog in the harbor. Then tossing and turning. Rough night. Youre not 11. Be on time. Had a rough nights sleep. This from the wall street journal, new yorkers held their breath wednesday and this just stood in the street watching for half an hour. Oh, my goosh. Two window washers found thems